Landric
Member
Being the owner of several .44 Special revolvers, and generally being the kind of person that can't resist trying something new when it comes to guns and such, I decided I wanted to give handloading the .44 Russian a try. I noticed that Lee offers dies specifically for the .44 Russian (for less than half of what other companies want for .44 Russian specific dies) and brass is available new from Starline at not totally unreasonable prices. Bullets are the same as those for the .44 Special, so that isn't an issue. So, I figured what the heck.
I ordered a set of Lee dies and a 100 count bag of Starline brass. I figure I probalby could have used my .44 Special dies to load it, but they are currently set up as I want them for .44 Special. I figured spending $25 on the Lee dies was better than changing back and forth on settings. I expect the dies and brass mid-week or so. I'll be using my .44 Special 200 grain RNFP bullets. Both my Speer Manual and online sources list 200 grain lead bullet data, and it looks like its possible to get close to .44 Special levels with the Russian.
So, I'm looking forward to trying something new. I figure if I like the .44 Russian, I'll probably buy a bulk box of 1000 new cases and that will likely last me forever. If I don't like it, I'm only out about $45 for the dies and brass I bought.
So, anyone have any advice, loads they like, or quirks I should expect?
TIA
I ordered a set of Lee dies and a 100 count bag of Starline brass. I figure I probalby could have used my .44 Special dies to load it, but they are currently set up as I want them for .44 Special. I figured spending $25 on the Lee dies was better than changing back and forth on settings. I expect the dies and brass mid-week or so. I'll be using my .44 Special 200 grain RNFP bullets. Both my Speer Manual and online sources list 200 grain lead bullet data, and it looks like its possible to get close to .44 Special levels with the Russian.
So, I'm looking forward to trying something new. I figure if I like the .44 Russian, I'll probably buy a bulk box of 1000 new cases and that will likely last me forever. If I don't like it, I'm only out about $45 for the dies and brass I bought.
So, anyone have any advice, loads they like, or quirks I should expect?
TIA